England CEO Connor admits team was outplayed in 16-0 Ashes drubbing

New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) Following their latest setback against Australia’s 16-0, Ashes defeat, Clare Connor, managing director of England women’s cricket and deputy CEO of the English Cricket Board (ECB), acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead, admitting that England were “outplayed in every facet of the game.”

Despite significant investment in the women’s game in recent years, England continues to lag behind Australia, particularly in the ability to handle high-pressure situations. Connor stressed that while England’s reputation had taken a hit, accusations of a lack of professionalism were unfair.

Reflecting on the disappointing tour, Connor described the scoreline as a “tough pill to swallow” but rejected the notion that England’s players lacked discipline or commitment.

“The perception and reputation of England women’s cricket is something that we want people to see positively and for them to be role models,” Connor, a former England captain told BBC Test Match Special after England’s 16-0 drubbing in the Women’s Ashes.

“But this is the scrutiny that comes when you lose, and when you lose heavily. This group of players care deeply about playing for England and they will be hurting, they are hurting hugely from what’s happened over this last month. There isn’t a lack of professionalism and I don’t recognise a cosiness.

“But all of that, I understand, is going to be brought into these conversations when a team has underperformed to the extent that we have.”

England’s struggles, Connor admitted, were largely due to their inability to capitalise on crucial moments—an area where Australia has excelled.

“Australia have shown that they’re constantly setting new standards in international women’s cricket,” she said.

“In the early reflections, one of the biggest differences right now in the two groups of players is the ability to, when there’s a chink of an opportunity, ruthlessly take that and not step back.”

While England has made strides in developing its domestic structure, with an annual 19 million dollar investment and equal match fees for men and women, they remain behind Australia.

“It’s not so much about what you’re paid, but it’s about the experiences you’ve had that you then take onto an international stage,” Connor added.

“I think one of the things we’re wrestling with is performance under pressure and that’s what knockout tournaments are about—whether it’s a semi-final, a final, or even a must-win group game.”

England has struggled with this pressure repeatedly, most notably in the 2023 T20 World Cup semi-final loss to South Africa. Connor admitted that learning how to close out key moments remains a major hurdle.

“We’ve got to work out how to fast-track that learning, because you can see it in Australia as a group. You can see that their ruthlessness, their decision-making, their skill execution under pressure is at a different level,” she said.

Following the heavy defeats, speculation has grown over the futures of England captain Heather Knight and head coach Jon Lewis. While no immediate changes have been made, Connor acknowledged that tough conversations would take place upon their return.

“There is nobody more disappointed about this tour than Heather and Jon,” Connor said. “They’ve poured every ounce of themselves into this and I think that’s been evident.

“Everything will be looked at with real honesty when we get back. Cricket fans and everybody as disappointed as us by this tour can rest assured that we won’t shy away from holding the mirror up and having tough and honest conversations about how we move forward because this has been an enormously disappointing tour.”

Both Knight and Lewis were non-committal in their responses after the Test match defeat, but with England failing to win a major trophy since their 2017 World Cup triumph, there is a growing sense that change may be inevitable.

–IANS

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